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Parish Member
Ellenberger Lumber Company and Do-it Center
OPEN 8:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Mon.—Fri.
8:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. Saturdays
(989) 733-8023
3479 Main Street (Parish Member) Onaway, MI
Serving Northern Michigan for 67 Years
BREWBAKER’S HOUSING & R.V.
Since 1959
20935 Washington Ave. Phone: (989) 733-8535 Onaway, MI 49765 Toll Free: (888) 874-5723 www.brewbakers.com Fax: (989) 733-4014
Email: [email protected] (Parish Member)
989-733-2257
"Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
Mother Teresa
Sponsored by M-Crash Group
BAUMGARTEN COLLISION, LLC
M-CRASH-GROUP Timothy P. Robbins, ACTAR #1445
Managing Collision Reconstruction Expert
Corporate Office Based in Bay City, MI 4106 Wilder Rd. #290 Direct: (989) 928-3358 Bay City, MI 48706-2239 [email protected] Phone & Fax (877) 627-2748 (Parish Member)
Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them. Bless them and their
families. I ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord
and Savior. Amen
Looking for a space to tell others
about who you are and what you
do. This is the space for you.
Licensed and Insured
To whom should I go and how exactly
can we share together the renewing
presence of the Spirit’s gentle love
“resting” upon us?
ST. PAUL CATHOLIC CHURCH
ST. MONICA CATHOLIC CHURCH—AFTON
20811 Washington Avenue, Onaway, MI
Ph. 989-733-6053 / Fax. 989-733-2848 / [email protected]
Website: stpaul-onaway.com / facebook.com/stpaulonaway
Dec. 24, 2017 Pastor : Rev. Peter Eke 4th Sunday of Advent
4th Sunday of Advent
Saint Joseph and the Joyful Christmas Memories
Joseph is a perfect model of silent strength and faith. His initial doubt and worry when he learned Mary
was pregnant is something that we can reflect upon in our spiritual growth and journey of faith. When we
have difficulties or are down, we should be inspired by St Joseph, who knew “how to walk in darkness,”
“listen to the voice of God,” and “go forward in silence.” While he did not understand, he knew that Mary
was “a woman of God,” and believed when the Lord sent him an angel in a dream to explain how–through
the Holy Spirit–the child had been conceived.
Joseph fought within himself; in that struggle, the voice of God is heard: ‘But get up’ — that ‘Get
up’ [which is heard] so many times in the Bible at the beginning of a mission — Take Mary, bring her to
your home. Take charge of the situation; take this situation in hand, and go forward. Joseph didn’t go to
his friends to be comforted, he didn’t go to a psychiatrist so that he could interpret the dream. No… He
believed. And he went forward. He took the situation in hand. What was it that Joseph had to take up?
Two things: fatherhood, and mystery. Regarding “fatherhood,” This is already implied in the genealogy of
Jesus, which explains how He “was thought to be the son of Joseph.” He took on a paternity that was not
his own: it came from the Father. And he went ahead with that fatherhood and all it signified: not only
supporting Mary and the Child, but also raising the Child, teaching Him his trade, bringing Him up to
manhood. He took up a paternity that is not his , but God’s. And this, without saying a word. In the Gos-
pel, there is not a single word spoken by Joseph. A man of silence, of silent obedience.
With regard to “Turning to mystery”, Jesus took in hand the mystery of leading people back to God. Jo-
seph took in hand this mystery and helps: with silence, with his work, up to the moment when God called
him to Himself. It is said of this man, who took up fatherhood and mystery, that he was the shadow of the
Father: the shadow of God the Father. And if the man Jesus learned to say ‘daddy,’ ‘father,’ to His Father
Who He knew as God, He learned it from life, from the witness of Joseph, the man who took care of Him,
the man who raised Him, the man who carried forward every paternity and every mystery, but took noth-
ing for himself. Joseph is a great man, whom God needed to carry forward “the mystery of leading the
people anew to the new Creation.
Joseph helped in a silent and faithful way to bring the Christmas joy to the world. We must do everything
we can to be joyful and help others to be joyful. Great thanks to all parishioners who support the commu-
nity food pantry through our monthly collection and the weekly Soup Kitchen in the parish hall. Joy is like
good soil. A joyful soul is like good soil, which makes life grow well, bearing good fruit. Children need to
be joyful too. We are reminded to preserve children’s joy. I would like to quote Pope Francis who said,
“Don’t sadden children. When children see that there are problems at home, that the parents quarrel, they
suffer. Don’t sadden the children. They must always grow with joy. The second thing you must do for
children to grow well, make them talk with the grandparents: “the two extremes of life, because the grand-
parents have memory, have roots, and it will be the grandparents that give roots to the children. Please, do
not let them become ‘uprooted’ children, without the memory of a people, without the memory of the
faith, without the memory of so many beautiful things that have made history, without the memory of val-
ues. And who will help children to do this? The grandparents. They must talk with the grandparents, with
the elderly.” It is very important for children to speak to their grandparents, the elderly, and God. Teach
them to talk with God. May they learn to pray, to say what they feel in their hearts. As we sit around the
dinner table during the Christmas season, let us share family memories, parish memories, and faith memo-
ries with the young ones in our family. They are the future of both our family and the Church. Merry
Christmas and a wonderful New Year 2018.
Know you are Loved,
Father Peter
May they rest in Peace.
Please pray for the following who has entered eternal life.
Evelyn Connors
From the Pastor’s Desk
Nancy Madison
Mike Marx
Brittany Maynard
Dennis McGuire
Bob Merrick
Kathy Merrick
Doug Moreau
Carolyn Mousseau
Those in need of our prayers…
Ann Bandish
Deb Bandish
Colleen Berry
Mary Bower
Bill Breed
Sandra Bunk
Abel Canales
Gary J. Castonia
Bob Carter
Dorothy Conners
Evelyn Connors
Theresa Czajka
Donna Diller
Louise Dorton
Elvin Eagleson
William Ellenberger
Martha Frost
Donna Giessinger
Vicki Giessinger
Vicki Gosinski
Catherine Green
Chuck Hart
Pat Harman
Gar Harris
Jim Hayes
Harry Hopkins
Starr Ittu
Patrick Mousseau
Ann Osantowski
Anya Pecova
David Riley
Roger Rivard
Diana Rogers
Norma Schoolcraft
Frank Sobieralski
Karen Sobieralski
Ray Stiles
Walter Szymoniak
Dave Tesmer
Sue Tesmer
Shirley Traflet
Bob Turney
Lois Veihl
Randy Veihl
Randy Weber
PLEASE NOTE:
The office will be closed
Mon. Dec. 25th thru Mon. Jan. 1st and will reopen on Jan. 2nd.
*******
There will be no daily Masses
Tues. Dec. 26th thru Fri. Dec. 29th
K—12 Faith Formation
No classes 24th and 31st
Classes resume Jan. 7th
Week at a Glance
Tuesday, December 26th
AA 8 pm, Hall (Rm. 1 & 2)
Wednesday, December 27th
Soup Kitchen 2:30– 5:30pm
Friday, December 23rd
AA 8 pm, Hall (Rm. 1 & 2)
Sunday, December 24th
No Faith Formation
Monday, January 1st
Mass @ 10am
Bless you for your Stewardship
St. Paul: 12/17/17
Reg. $2,223.00 + Loose $105.00
Fuel $.00 = $2,328.00
Religious Retirement $15.00
St. Monica: 12/17/17
Reg. $100.00
Mass Intentions
No Mass: Tuesday, Dec. 26th
No Mass: Wednesday, Dec. 27th
No Mass: Thursday, Dec. 28th
No Mass: Friday, Dec. 29th
Saturday, Dec. 30th @ 5pm
Parishioners of St. Paul / St. Monica
Sunday, Dec. 31st @ 10am
+ Earl and Lillian Bandish
req. Dick & Marian Manners
Monday, January 1st @ 10am
+ Ron and Rita Howley
req. Sally Schaar
Readings for Week of Dec. 25th
Mon: Is 52:7-10 / Ps 98 / Heb 1:1-6 /
Jn 1:1-18
Tues: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 /
Mt 10:17-22
Wed: 1Jn 1:1-4 / Jn 20:1a, 2-8
Thurs: 1Jn 1:5-2:2 / Mt 2:13-18
Fri: 1Jn 2:3-11 / Lk 2:22-35
Sat: 1Jn 2:12-17 / Lk 2:36-40
Sun: Sir 3:2-6, 12-14 / Ps 128 /
Col 3:12-21 / Lk 2:22-40
CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
Christmas Eve Carols begin at 4:30 pm
Christmas Eve Mass
5:00 pm
Christmas Day Mass
10:00 am
Thank you to all who helped decorate the
church for Christmas. It looks wonderful!
Phil & Deb for the trees. Phil,& Deb, Marty & Ann, Carol, Pat B., Sally,
Barry, Brianna, Ryan and Maria, Pat K., Kevin and Butch.
May the Joy and Peace of Christmas be with you
now and throughout the New Year.
Father Peter, Marisue, Shirley & Susan
How can I take the gift of Jesus that I have been given and share
this gift with others?
Behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy!
Please Note:
New Years Day Mass
Monday, January 1st at 10am
